Two found dead in Anna Maria Island home, Bradenton Beach police say

Bradenton Beach Police Department is investigating a suspected murder-suicide after a man and woman were found dead in a home on Anna Maria Island.

Police identified the couple as Sabrina Marie Dumdei, 37, and Zachary John Winton, 34.

The home is located in the 2500 block of Avenue C in Bradenton Beach. The bodies were discovered on Saturday afternoon when Dumdei’s father went to check on her and found her dead, Bradenton Beach police Detective Sgt. Lenard Diaz said.

Dumdei and Winton had a history of domestic violence incidents, according to Manatee County court records.

Winton was arrested on Aug. 31 after a call to the police department from Dumdei, who reported that Winton was holding her hostage with threats of violence. The responding officer arrived to find Winton yelling as he walked towards Dumdei with a “large kitchen knife” in one pocket. The officer drew a Taser and ordered Winton to back away from Dumdei before placing him under arrest.

While in police custody, Winton then threatened to kill Dumdei multiple times, according to court records.

“I will kill her. She gonna pay,” Winton is quoted as saying in a probable cause affidavit. “If I get charged with felonies I’ll kill her then myself. I will cut her throat.”

Dumdei’s name is retracted in the court documents, but police confirmed that she was the other party involved in the incident.

Winton faced felony charges of aggravated assault, false imprisonment and tampering with a victim following the incident, as well as a misdemeanor charge of battery.

Winton had also been arrested on Aug. 8 on a charge of domestic battery at an apartment on Bristol Bay Drive in Bradenton where he and Dumdei lived together at the time. In that instance, Bradenton Police Department officers reported that Winton had struck Dumdei in the right eye with a closed fist during an argument. The blow caused burst blood vessels and a large bruise, according to police.

Police noted that Winton had a large bruise on his left eye. Dumdei claimed that Winton inflicted the blow on himself after she threatened to call the police. Dumdei told police that she did not want to press charges, but she did seek an injunction.

Winton pled not guilty and the charge was later dropped.

The couple had been dating for about six months at the time, according to court documents.

On July 19, Dumdei had been arrested and charged with domestic battery following an altercation reported to the Bradenton Police Department. In a statement to police, Winton said that Dumdei had thrown a can at him from a few feet away, causing swelling and a cut on his inner lip, and punched him multiple times in the chest with a closed fist. Winton did not want to press charges at the time, police said, but Dumdei was arrested and booked into the Manatee County Jail.

The charge was later dropped.

Detective Diaz described the crime scene at the Anna Maria Island home as “horrific.”

This story was originally published October 18, 2020 at 6:02 PM.